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Word From The Herd ~ Ho'oponopono

"We don't need to hide our struggles. It is normal for people in our field to struggle with bigger questions. We face a lot of pain, and it's true that life is pain, but there is also beauty and kindness. We have to remember that we can make a change. Today I saw an article about brine shrimp and how they affect the currents of the oceans. Each brine shrimp is insignificant and tiny, but together their movement is so strong it affects the currents. That's how we can be. Do your part, little shrimp. Keep on. We are changing the tides."


~ Anna Grossman

Ho'oponopono is a mouthful. It's also the ancient Hawaiian practise of reconciliation and forgiveness. The word actually means to ‘set things right’ in a 'morally correct way'. The steps were shared with me by a wonderful woman who uses it as a highly effective meditation practise.

The history of the practise is long standing. In many Polynesian cultures, it is still believed that a person's errors (called hara or hala) can cause illness. Some believe error angers the gods, and still others believe the guilt caused by error made you sick. But it is possible to diminish the guilt through confession and forgiveness.

The Vanuatu people believe that secrecy is what gives power to an illness. Confession means that mistake no longer has power over the person. In some island cultures it is believed that the sins of the father will fall upon the children. If a child is sick, the parents are suspected of quarrelling or misconduct. Harmony may be restored only by confession and apology.

One of the earliest concepts taught to ancient Hawaiians was, “Each child born has at birth, a Bowl of perfect Light. If he tends his Light it will grow in strength and he can do all things – swim with the shark, fly with the birds, know and understand all things. If however he becomes envious or jealous he drops a stone into his Bowl of Light and some of the Light goes out. Light and the stone cannot hold the same space. If he continues to put stones in the Bowl of Light, the Light will go out and he will become a stone. A stone does not grow, nor does it move. If at any time he tires of being a stone, all he needs to do is turn the bowl upside down and the stones will fall away and the Light will grow once more.”

"...This story reflects the human journey and choices. We can choose to carry old hurts and be in pilikia (trauma and drama) or we can choose pono. To journey in excellence. Pono and Pilikia cannot reside in the same bowl at the same time.The traditional concept of Ho’oponopono, as shared and taught by Anake’ Mahealani Kuamo-o Henry, (Kumu ‘Elele o Na Kupuna – Teacher and messenger for the spiritual voices of the Ancestors) …is Ho’oponopono Ke Ala: Making Right More Right the Path." (Leonie Blackwell/Tracey Ha’aloakainapli

The practise was brought particularly to light by a Hawaiin therapist who used Ho'oponopono to, as he claimed, cure an entire ward of criminally insane patients, without ever meeting any of them. The therapist was Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. He reviewed each of the patients’ files, and then he healed them by healing himself through the practise.

The steps in Len's version are very simple.

I Love You...I'm Sorry...Please Forgive Me...Thank You.

Start with healing yourself. Write the words down and stick them somewhere you can see them, every day. When you have a quiet space, a quiet moment, focus. In your mind, see the person or animal you wish to commune with, whether for your own reasons or for theirs. See them in your heart, and repeat each of the above four mantras. Mean them. It's that simple. Do it every day, or several times a day, whatever you like. Just mean it. You will notice a difference.

"Where focus goes, energy flows."

It's that simple, and that universally complex. Some people call it the attitude of gratitude. Try it and see.

If it helps, imagine it as your horse would look at you when he/she first sees you. Non-judgementally, openly, authentically, with no expectations or concerns attached.

I am sharing the below explanation of these four steps from Laughter University Online. I find it helpful to focus on myself first, then one being at a time as you repeat the entire four steps.

"Step 1: Repentance – I’M SORRY

You are responsible for everything in your mind, even if it seems to be “out there.” Once you realise that, it’s very natural to feel sorry...so choose something that you already know you’ve caused for yourself. Over-weight? Addicted to nicotine, alcohol or some other substance? Do you have anger issues? Health problems? Start there and say you’re sorry. That’s the whole step: I’M SORRY.

(Although I think it is more powerful if you say it more clearly: “I realise that I am responsible for the (issue) in my life and I feel terrible remorse that something in my consciousness has caused this.”)

Step 2: Ask Forgiveness – PLEASE FORGIVE ME

Don’t worry about who you’re asking. Just ask! PLEASE FORGIVE ME. Say it over and over. Mean it. Remember your remorse from step 1 as you ask to be forgiven, even if you think to start with that no forgiveness is needed.

Step 3: Gratitude – THANK YOU

Say “THANK YOU” – thank your body for all it does for you. Thank yourself for being the best you can be. Thank God. Thank the Universe. Thank whatever it was that just forgave you. Just keep saying THANK YOU.

Step 4: Love – I LOVE YOU

This can also be step 1. Say I LOVE YOU. Say it to your body, say it to God. Say I LOVE YOU to the air you breathe, to the house that shelters you. Say I LOVE YOU to your challenges. Say it over and over. Mean it. Feel it. There is nothing as powerful as Love.

That’s it. The whole practice in a nutshell. Simple and amazingly effective."

Say it to someone you are having challenges with at the office, or don't like, or feel sorry for. Say it to someone you don't know, or an animal you cherish. Say it to someone you are trying to support. Just focus, and mean it. Try it and see. It cannot hurt and it's incredibly powerful. Believe me.

photo (c) KAW

For more info this link may be useful : https://essenceofhealinginstitute.com/hooponopono-may-not-exactly-told/?fbclid=IwAR1_Dz-ysoYn-JCZStm0aE3BrmkKUcb5gxL-WerMJkBzxlg5oZujIU6k62s

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